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to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. What Jew does he mean here, or of what Greeks is he speaking? Of those before the coming of Christ. For his discourse has not yet reached the times of grace, but still dwells on earlier times, clearing the way from afar, and doing away with the distinction between Greek and Jew, so that when he does this in the time of grace, he may no longer seem to be introducing something new and burdensome. For if in those earlier times, when so great a grace had not yet shone forth, when the revered and renowned and brilliant things of the Jews were esteemed by all, there was no distinction, what argument could they then have after such a display of grace? For this very reason he also constructs this argument with great earnestness. For the hearer, having learned that this held true in earlier times, will much more readily accept it after the coming of faith. By Greeks here he means not the idolaters, but the God-fearing, those who obey the natural law, those who, apart from the Jewish observances, keep all things that contribute to piety; such as were those around Melchizedek, such as was Job, such as were the Ninevites, such as was Cornelius. Already, then, he is undermining the distinction between circumcision and uncircumcision, and from afar he is abolishing this difference, so as to do it without raising suspicion, and to introduce it from another necessity; which is always characteristic of apostolic wisdom. For if he had shown this in the times of grace, the argument would have seemed very suspicious; but by recounting the evil and wickedness that possess the world, and from that sequence entering into the argument about these things, he made his teaching unsuspected. 4. And that he intends this, and for this reason composed it thus, is clear from what follows. For if he had not been eager to establish this point, it would have been enough to say, ‘But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath,’ and to stop this line of argument; for it was complete. But since his object was not this, merely to speak of the future judgment, but also to show that the Jew has no advantage over such a Greek, so that he might not be proud, he proceeds further, and uses a certain order. Consider: He frightened the hearer, he made the dreadful day ring in his ears, he said how great an evil it is to live with wickedness, he showed that no one sins out of ignorance nor with impunity, but, even if one does not pay the penalty now, one will certainly pay it; from this point, then, he wishes to establish that the teaching of the law was not a matter of great urgency; for in deeds lies the punishment and the honor, not in circumcision and uncircumcision. Since, therefore, he said that the Greek will certainly be punished, and 60.427 took this as conceded, and from this he constructed that he will also be honored, he consequently showed the law and circumcision to be superfluous; for here he is especially contending with the Jews. For since they were more contentiously disposed, first out of pride not deigning to be numbered with those from the Gentiles; second, mocking if faith effaces all sins, for this reason he first accused the Greeks, on whose behalf he makes his argument, so that without suspicion and with boldness he might touch upon the Jews; then coming to the examination concerning punishment, he shows not only that the Jew is not at all benefited by the law, but is even burdened; and this he establishes from the beginning. For if the Greek is for this reason without excuse, that though creation and his reasonings accused him, he did not become better; much more so the Jew, who in addition to these things also received the teaching from the law. Having therefore persuaded him to readily accept this reasoning in the case of others' sins, he then compels him, even unwillingly, to do this in the case of his own. And so that the argument might be more readily received, he advances it also to better things, speaking thus: But glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For here indeed, whatever good things one has, one has with many

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παντὶ τῷ ἐργαζομένῳ τὸ ἀγαθὸν, Ἰουδαίῳ τε πρῶτον, καὶ Ἕλληνι. Ποῖον Ἰουδαῖον ἐνταῦθά φησιν, ἢ περὶ ποίων Ἑλλήνων διαλέγεται; Τῶν πρὸ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας. Οὔπω γὰρ εἰς τοὺς τῆς χάριτος ἔφθασε χρόνους ὁ λόγος, ἀλλ' ἔτι τοῖς ἀνωτέρω χρόνοις ἐνδιατρίβει, προκαθαιρῶν πόῤῥωθεν, καὶ ἀναιρῶν τὸ μέσον τοῦ Ἕλληνος καὶ τοῦ Ἰουδαίου, ἵν', ὅταν ἐν τῇ χάριτι τοῦτο ποιῇ, μηκέτι δόξῃ καινόν τι καὶ φορτικὸν ἐπινοεῖν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέρω χρόνοις, ὅτε οὔπω ἡ χάρις ἦν ἐκλάμψασα ἡ τοσαύτη, ὅτε τὰ τῶν Ἰουδαίων σεμνὰ καὶ περιβόητα καὶ λαμπρὰ παρὰ πᾶσιν ἦν, οὐδὲν ἦν τὸ μέσον, τίνα ἂν ἔχοιεν λοιπὸν εἰπεῖν λόγον μετὰ τὴν τοσαύτην τῆς χάριτος ἐπίδειξιν; ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς αὐτὸ κατασκευάζει τῆς σπουδῆς. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ ἀκροατὴς τοῦτο μαθὼν ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέρω χρόνοις κρατοῦν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον μετὰ τὴν πίστιν αὐτὸ παραδέξεται. Ἕλληνας δὲ ἐνταῦθά φησιν, οὐ τοὺς εἰδωλολατροῦντας, ἀλλὰ τοὺς θεοσεβοῦντας, τοὺς τῷ φυσικῷ πειθομένους νόμῳ, τοὺς πλὴν τῶν Ἰουδαϊκῶν παρατηρήσεων πάντα τὰ πρὸς εὐσέβειαν συντελοῦντα διατηροῦντας· οἷοι ἦσαν οἱ περὶ τὸν Μελχισεδὲχ, οἷος ἦν ὁ Ἰὼβ, οἷοι ἦσαν οἱ Νινευῗται, οἷος ἦν ὁ Κορνήλιος. Ἤδη τοίνυν προδιορύττει τῆς περιτομῆς καὶ τῆς ἀκροβυστίας τὸ μέσον, καὶ πόῤῥωθεν ταύτην προκαταλύει τὴν διαφορὰν, ὥστε καὶ ἀνυπόπτως αὐτὸ ποιῆσαι, καὶ ἐξ ἑτέρας ἀνάγκης εἰς τοῦτο ἐμβαλεῖν· ὅπερ ἀεὶ τῆς συνέσεώς ἐστιν ἴδιον τῆς ἀποστολικῆς. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν καιρῶν αὐτὸ τῆς χάριτος ἔδειξεν, ἔδοξεν ἂν πολλὴν ὑποψίαν ἔχειν ὁ λόγος· τὸ δὲ διηγούμενον τὴν κατέχουσαν τὸν κόσμον κακίαν καὶ πονηρίαν, ἐκ τῆς ἀκολουθίας ἐκείνης εἰς τὸν περὶ τούτων ἐμβῆναι λόγον, ἀνύποπτον ἐποίει τὴν διδασκαλίαν. δʹ. Καὶ ὅτι τοῦτο βούλεται, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὕτω συνέθηκε, δῆλον ἐκεῖθεν. Εἰ μὴ γὰρ τοῦτο ἐσπούδαζε κατασκευάσαι, ἤρκει εἰπόντα, ὅτι Κατὰ τὴν σκληρότητά σου καὶ ἀμετανόητον καρδίαν θησαυρίζεις σεαυτῷ ὀργὴν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς, παύσασθαι τῆς ὑποθέσεως ταύτης· καὶ γὰρ ἀπηρτισμένη ἦν. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ οὐ τοῦτο ἦν αὐτῷ τὸ ζητούμενον, περὶ κρίσεως μόνον εἰπεῖν τῆς μελλούσης, ἀλλὰ καὶ δεῖξαι οὐδὲν πλέον ἔχοντα τὸν Ἰουδαῖον τοῦ τοιούτου Ἕλληνος, ἵνα μὴ μέγα φρονῇ, πρόεισι περαιτέρω, καὶ τάξει κέχρηται. Σκόπει δέ· Ἐφόβησε τὸν ἀκροατὴν, ἐπήχησεν αὐτῷ τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν φοβερὰν, εἶπεν ὅσον κακὸν τῇ πονηρίᾳ συζῇν, ἔδειξεν οὐδένα ἐξ ἀγνοίας ἁμαρτάνοντα οὐδὲ ἀτιμωρητὶ, ἀλλὰ, κἂν μὴ νῦν δῷ δίκην, δώσοντα πάντως· ἐντεῦθεν λοιπὸν βούλεται κατασκευάσαι, ὅτι ἡ τοῦ νόμου διδασκαλία οὐ σφόδρα τῶν κατεπειγόντων ἦν· ἐν γὰρ τοῖς ἔργοις ἡ κόλασις καὶ ἡ τιμὴ, οὐκ ἐν περιτομῇ καὶ ἀκροβυστίᾳ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν εἶπεν ὅτι πάντως κολασθήσεται ὁ Ἕλλην, καὶ 60.427 ἔλαβεν ὡμολογημένον τοῦτο, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ κατεσκεύασεν, ὅτι καὶ τιμηθήσεται, περιττὸν λοιπὸν ἐδήλωσε τὸν νόμον καὶ τὴν περιτομήν· μάλιστα γὰρ Ἰουδαίοις ἐνταῦθα μάχεται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι φιλονεικότερον διέκειντο, πρῶτον μὲν ὑπὸ τύφου οὐκ ἀξιοῦντες μετὰ τῶν ἐξ ἐθνῶν συναριθμεῖσθαι· δεύτερον καταγελῶντες, εἰ ἡ πίστις πάντα ἀφανίζει τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, διὰ τοῦτο πρότερον κατηγόρησε τῶν Ἑλλήνων, ὑπὲρ ὧν ποιεῖται τὸν λόγον, ἵνα ἀνυπόπτως καὶ μετὰ παῤῥησίας τῶν Ἰουδαίων καθίκηται· εἶτα εἰς τὴν περὶ τῆς κολάσεως ἐξέτασιν ἐλθὼν, δείκνυσιν οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν ὠφελούμενον τὸν Ἰουδαῖον ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου, ἀλλὰ καὶ βαρούμενον· καὶ τοῦτο ἄνωθεν κατασκευάζει. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ Ἕλλην διὰ τοῦτο ἀναπολόγητος, ὅτι τῆς κτίσεως αὐτὸν ἐναγούσης καὶ τῶν λογισμῶν, οὐκ ἐγένετο βελτίων· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ Ἰουδαῖος μετὰ τούτων καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου διδασκαλίαν λαβών. Πείσας τοίνυν αὐτὸν εὐκόλως δέξασθαι τὸν λογισμὸν τοῦτον ἐν τοῖς ἑτέρων ἁμαρτήμασι, καὶ ἄκοντα ἀναγκάζει λοιπὸν ἐν τοῖς περὶ ἑαυτοῦ τοῦτο ποιῆσαι. Καὶ ὥστε εὐπαράδεκτον γενέσθαι τὸν λόγον, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν χρηστοτέρων αὐτὸν προάγει, λέγων οὕτω· ∆όξα δὲ καὶ τιμὴ καὶ εἰρήνη παντὶ τῷ ἐργαζομένῳ τὸ ἀγαθὸν, Ἰουδαίῳ τε πρῶτον καὶ Ἕλληνι. Ἐνταῦθα μὲν γὰρ, ὅσα ἄν τις ἔχῃ καλὰ, μετὰ πολλῶν ἔχει